When it comes to the amount of speculation, experimentation, research, clinical studies, and proven benefits of green tea, --it's almost intimidating getting to know all the facts. The main conclusion here is that green tea is good for you; it has anti-aging qualities, and prevents various illnesses. One example, and possibly the most serious of these kinds of health problems, is cancer. Cancer is one of the leading causes of early death currently. According to statistics, around three hundred people die of cancer every day, --and those numbers just cover the United States. But there's good news, because the antioxidants in green tea help prevent various kinds cancer, among other health problems.

Green Tea & Lung Cancer

Most forms of cancer are preventable, --not curable, but preventable, through clean living, not smoking, and basically, just keeping your body in good condition. And we all admit, that's easier said than done. Not everyone wants to wear sunscreen, even though it can prevent melanoma, and not everyone wants to quit smoking, --even though smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. As it turns out, green tea might even be able to help smokers protect themselves from lung cancer.Research on Green Teas Preventative Qualities

The scientists at the Toxicology Research Center in Korea have studied the effect of green tea on the lungs; they've found that it may protect the delicate tissues of the lungs, even under the heavy damage done by smoking. The four groups tested in the study were smokers consuming green tea, smokers who consume coffee, non-smokers, and smokers who consumed neither green tea nor coffee; all the smoking participants had been smoking for around 13 years. Rest assured, they weren't working with people who had just bought their first pack of smokes.

The Results

After six months of drinking 2 or 3 cups of green tea every day, the smokers returned, along with the other groups, for evaluation. This group, showed about as much SCE, (sister chromatid exchange) as non-smokers, making a significant reduction. This was the stand-out result; the other three groups weren't as impressive. SCE, by the way, is a cell process that is linked to the growth of tumors. Obviously, if green tea reduces the growth of tumors in the lungs, it's going to start becoming a lot more popular with smokers.

How You Can Stay Healthy with Green Tea

The scientists conducting the study concluded the same thing; smart guys, aren't they, --that green tea was preventative of lung cancer, even among smokers. And drinking coffee has no real effect on SCE levels, --so if you were worried that coffee causes cancer, feel free to keep drinking it. On the other hand, you may want to switch to some high quality green tea instead. It has just become extremely important that smokers drink green tea, --but not just people who smoke. Everyone is at risk for various kinds of cancers, so if green tea can actually help us prevent cancer and keep our bodies in good shape, we need to be drinking more.